DENVER (KDVR) A Sunday morning raid of an Adams County makeshift nightclub tied to the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang could be evidence the gang is moving around the Denver metro area after facing national attention in Aurora.

The Rocky Mountain Division of the Drug Enforcement Agency announced the raid Sunday morning in which several federal agencies seized, drugs, guns and money, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials detained nearly 50 people living in the country illegally.

DEA Denver Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen told affiliate KDVR’s Kasia Kerridge the raid showed them the gang may be trying to get out of the spotlight placed on Aurora.

In the beginning, I think a lot of the focus was on the folks in Aurora, especially after the videos that came out on the internet. But, I think what we’ve seen is that, like any criminal organization, they morph. When they feel like there is pressure against them so they move to Denver, they move to Littleton; they move to wherever they feel like they can get away from where the pressure is and so I think that’s what we’ve seen here … I’m not saying they’re not in Aurora, but I think they’ve moved around to other places to take some of the heat off of other places.”

DEA Denver Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen

KDVR’s Rachel Saurer spoke to James Albee, a Denver law enforcement procedural expert, said the DEA’s involvement means “they’re not focusing necessarily on the immigration side of things.”

“They’re addressing the organized crime aspect which happens to be a well-known group that is known as TdA,” Albee told Saurer.

Pullen said the investigation that led to the raid, which began months ago during the Biden Administration, is still ongoing and has even led to more possible arrests.

“We still have agents in the field looking for other targets associated with this group,” Pullen said. “I think we have another handful of folks in custody besides the 50 we arrested early this morning.”

Pullen said the Tren de Aragua gang is active across the country and often gets drugs from Mexican cartels.

“We’re looking at Denver metro area and a nationwide issue. I mean, it’s Chicago, it’s L.A. This problem has spread through the United States,” Albee said.

Sunday’s raid was specifically stemming from a DEA drug trafficking operation, but several other crimes were also evidenced at the nightclub. Pullen said overall, though, Denver area residents should feel safer after the raid.

“I live in this community too. I feel like the people in the Denver metro area can wake up today and feel like they have a safer city to live in,” Pullen said. “We took people who were selling drugs; potential prostitution at the location, there were guns at the location, we know they’re involved in much higher-level drug trafficking, and a lot of them went to jail today.”

Albee said the people arrested at the makeshift nightclub were part of a specific demographic.

“In this specific set of circumstances, it was a very specific demographic that was attending this gathering. And unless you were specifically known or invited to such gathering,” Albee said, “You’re not showing up with clean hands. I mean, you’re part of the problem.”

Albee also applauded the efforts of law enforcement in this circumstance and said he too hopes more can be done to keep Colorado communities safe.

“These are hardcore criminals that they’re going after and taken off the streets so you and I can go to the grocery store and maintain some type of safety as well,” Albee said.

KDVR’s Kasia Kerridge contributed to this story.